


Monsters Aren't Just Under Your Bed

by Cosmos_Celestrial



Series: Substenance [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Chaos, Dealings, Drug Dealer au, Drugs, Drugs are Bad, Good Sister Mabel Pines, M/M, Mabel worrying over her brother, Madness, Manipulation, Overdose, Stressed Dipper Pines, Teenage Dipper Pines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 04:22:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4165686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmos_Celestrial/pseuds/Cosmos_Celestrial
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It started off with pills. Harmless pills that could help him get through schooling, get through the stress. But then everything started turning south, things started escalating and the temptation was there. He was there to help him. He had come to find the drugs as his friend. He had become the boy who walked alongside the monster. But pretty soon, he had to start running in order to keep up.</p>
<p>Things were great, the monster was great...but only for a little while.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This Was Not Punishment

**Dipper’s Journal Entry:**

You would think that going to a brand new high school up in Oregon and living with your Great-Uncle would be fun, perhaps even enlightening to what happens outside of where you live. But it’s not. At least, not for me anyways. My twin sister, Mabel, however, had no problem adjusting to the new life they were going to be having. But of course, she wasn’t being sent here as punishment, now was she? Of course not.

You see, before we came down here, there were complications at my old school that seemed worrisome to my parents. You see, I wasn’t exactly hanging out with the “right” crowd before all of this and needless to say, I got busted for sneaking back in from a party and I was “ _drunk off my ass_ ” as my father put it and that was no way for a Pines to act, yada, yada. My parents…aren’t exactly the fun type nor are they the cool. They are those overbearing parents that are constantly on your back over grades, school, education, etc. And my sister and I, be the lucky children being born to them, are the star prodigies who are going to make the world a better place. I kid you not, my parents actually said that to us. And wasn’t just one time, mind you, we are constantly reminded every single day of what we have to do and what were supposed to do. There is no other option.

It’s a ‘my way or the highway’ attitude with my parents.

But back to why I was sent away, over the past few weeks of the beginning of summer, my parents had already been discussing Mabel’s and mine careers. Mabel was to be a lawyer, and I’m supposed to be a doctor. We both take required classes-which my parents must be informed about before we can actually choose it. We have few curriculum or free blocks in school because they insist every minute is a learning one and we shouldn’t waste it by sitting idly. Did I mention that they were also strict with religion? But I won’t go into that.

So then, if I’m required to do everything as I’m told and have the highest SAT score in the whole school alongside my sister, why are my parents punishing me? Well it’s like I said, I didn’t hang out with the right crowd and my parents did not like that _one bit_. Nope, they couldn’t allow me to have a small moment of fun and insisted that this foolishness was beneath me and that I should’ve been focused on my main priorities: school.

That’s why I didn’t say a lot to my parents, like how I secretly joined the Mystery Club at school. I know, ridiculous name right? But the Mystery Club is actually pretty fun. I get to learn all sorts of things about the paranormal and such. You could say that’s my weak point. But when I got busted for drinking, it was like my parents went into spy mode. They found out about the extra curriculum clubs I was in and immediately set about to making me leave them by signing me up for educational programs. I guess I didn’t mind that either, after all…I did love learning. But there’s a limit to how much I can dedicate my time to that. I mean everyone ends up cracking at some point. And that point was closer for me that I thought.

So of course, this is why I am here with Mabel at Gravity Falls, Oregon. It’s my parents’ punishment to me for not staying true to my learning values. But I don’t mind being here. Our Great Uncle Stan…is sure as hell not the kind of person we’ve grown up around and I can see why my parents were reluctant to let us come here. He was _fun_. A term that both my parents could hardly comprehend and Mabel and I _loved_ that about him!

This whole punishment thing was obviously a failing plan for my parents, but they didn’t know. As far as the letters went, all three of us lied. Grunkle Stan-another name he told us to call him-usually filled the letters with words along the lines of, ‘ _Both children are getting along just fine. Dipper and Mabel are both working very hard on their summer schooling and are both fully prepared for the start of their new High school_ ’.

Mabel’s consisted of ‘ _It’s lovely down here in Gravity Falls, I only wish I had time to take pictures for my scrapbook. But, my school work is much more important as I wish to excel and make it to my planned University. Love ya lots! Mabel._ ’

And mine, ‘ _I HATE it here. This is seriously the worse place you could’ve ever sent me to. I can only hope the school is at least worth it or something. Anyways, my school work is going just_ swell _, Great Uncle Stan is really helping with keeping me on top of things. Hopefully I can rectify what I nearly destroyed back at home. See ya when I get back. Dipper._

Which of course, these letters were anything _but_ true. Though my parents bought it, so that was good. Grunkle Stan has in a way made sure that I least did my work aside from helping out in the shop. Mabel is also keeping me cheerful, which does indeed work. I can always turn to my sister when I need help or just need to talk. She lets me talk trash about mom and dad and even sometimes agrees with me. But…I’ll admit, there are times where she just doesn’t listen and says things to further irritate. Then again, what sibling doesn’t do that, right?

But…that wasn’t when the problems truly occurred. No…it was a couple weeks before school when I met _him_. Now…I’m not one for checking out people, nor am I the type to date, but the day my eyes landed on _him_ , I couldn’t deny that I had begun to have a small crush-!

“Dipper, come on!” Mabel’s voice piped up, interrupting her brother’s private thoughts. Dipper blinked, snapping out of his dazed stupor. He shook his head quickly and slammed his journal shut.

“R-right, right!” He said, gathering his things and shoving them into his backpack quickly. Today was the beginning of their journey at their new High School. Even though they were both juniors. But that didn’t matter now, they were already signed up, so they had no other choice. Running down the steps after his sister, they both grabbed a quick pop tart and ran out the door towards Dipper’s car. It was old hammy down 1956 Red Chevy-curtesy of their Grunkle. But the twins had no reason to complain, it was in great working condition and was comfortable.

Putting the car into gear, they both did a quick wave to Stan who was watching them from the doorway of the Mystery Shack.

“She better not have a scratch when you return!” Stan shouted jokingly. Dipper and Mabel grinned, both laughing.

“Will do, Grunkle Stan!” Mabel chirped before they drove off towards the high school. Mabel closed the window. She looked to Dipper and grinned, “So, you excited for the new school?” She asked. He snorted.

“Yeah, as excited as a child graduating,” He said sarcastically. Mabel in turn rolled her eyes, but the smile stayed.

“Aw, come on, broseph,” She chuckled, “I’m sure it won’t be so bad.” He smiled and glanced at her, it was amazing how his sister could always be so positive even though they were both upset to have to move to a new school building.

“Well someone sure is certain,” He replied. She playfully slapped his arm.

“Oh hush,” She teased, “I’m sure you’re excited about being here too. After all, we don’t have mom or dad pressuring us to do our best,” She smiled. She stretched and squirmed into her seat, making herself comfortable as she gave a small yawn, “and thank goodness for that too! I was almost going to pull my hair out from mom’s constant bugging about me picking a college,” She snickered. Dipper pretended to gasp.

“What? Really?” He said with a grin. She laughed and slapped his arm again. Dipper reached over with his right arm and tickled her, making her laugh and wriggle as she tried to stop him.

“Ack! D-Dipper! Cut it o-UT!” She squealed before slapping his hand away, “Seriously, Dipper? You messed up my hair bow,” She pouted as she examined herself through the mirror. Dipper chuckled quietly as he watched his sister fuss over her hair.

“Mabel, it’s fine,” He said as he entered the school lot. The building was bigger than their old high school. It seemed to be a two story. There was a large of students standing outside and an even bigger crowd walking in. As he parked the car in a secluded spot, they both hopped out, closing the car doors before Dipper locked it.

“Well…it sure is big, huh?” She said weakly. Both were a bit apprehensive about entering, after all, they were going to be the new kids.

“Yeah…” Dipper replied just as unsure. They both started walking towards the main building. First thing they had to do, was get their schedules. As they worked their way through the groups of kids, Dipper and Mabel both got separated at one point. As Dipper searched for his twin, he was unaware that he was going to bump into someone, until he fell back to the ground with an “ _Oof!_ ” He rubbed his nose which had ran into the back of the person and he frowned. His brown eyes glanced up and his heart lodged into his throat.

There, in front of him, was none other than the boy who had made his heart flutter. He gaped a little as he took in the view. The being in front of him was clad in a gold-ish yellow long sleeve shirt. However, the sleeves were rolled up to his elbow. He had black jeans on and a small bowtie around his collar. Their eyes both met and Dipper was in awe at the boy’s eyes. He had the bluest hazel eyes he had ever seen, which were rimmed with soft gold around the pupil, although one eye was covered by the dark blonde hair that he had. The boy flashed a charming smile showing his pearly white teeth. He outstretched a thin tan arm to Dipper who gladly took it. He was pulled up rather quickly and crashed into the male’s broad chest. He felt the tips of his ears turn red and his face heat up as he pulled back.

“W-whoah…uh, sorry about that,” He managed to force out. The boy let out a small chuckle, making Dipper’s heart skip a beat and he wanted to hear that noise again.

“Oh, it’s no worries,” The boy replied, his voice was slightly deep and had a sort of mischievous tone to it, Dipper felt the stare of the boy eye’s traveling up and down his body and he couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious wearing his red plaid long sleeve shirt and a plain blue one and jeans. He almost wished he had buttoned up his flannel shirt.

Another boy approached them, he had dark jet black hair and the bluest eyes. He wore a dark blue vest and a black long sleeve shirt underneath along with black jeans. Dipper watched as his arm wrapped around the boy’s waist, “Hey, Bill, this kid picking on you?” He asked, his voice thick and a little raspy. The boy-Bill-rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“No, Tadders,” Bill replied, his eyes never leaving Dipper’s. The other boy, Tadders, apparently, stared at Dipper with a small amount of jealousy…those two weren’t an item…were they? He wondered in confusion.

“Well that’s good,” Tadders said, he held his hand out to Dipper, “Tad Strange, mate,” He said with a smile and Dipper finally noticed his Australian accent…or was it British? He returned the smile as best as he could and shook Tad’s hand. He sure did have a peculiar name.

“Dipper, Dipper Pines,” he replied, “I’m new here,” he added, although he had no idea why he said that. Way to go, he scolded to himself.

“You’re the new squirt?” Bill asked with surprise, his eye widening a bit. Dipper nodded.

“Yeah, I am…” He said with a nervous smile. Bill and Tad both bursted out laughing, making him jump a little. Was there some sort of inside joke going on here?

“Who knew the new kid was quite the looker,” Bill mused, his boisterous dying down to small chuckles, Dipper watched as Tad’s grip tightened a little and Bill looked back at him, “Oh calm your tea kettle,’ Bill scolded, “I’m Bill Cipher,” Bill added and held out his hand. Dipper shook it and smiled as best as he could while trying to ignore how warm Bill’s hand felt against his.

“Nice to meet you,” Dipper said staring at him before blinking away and pulling his hand out, “I’d love to stay and chat, but I gotta find my sister,” He said hurriedly, “it was great meeting you both, see ya around!” And just like that, Dipper had run off. Had he stayed, he would’ve heard what the two boys had said.

“Yes…see you around, indeed,” Bill mused to himself as he watched Dipper run off. His thoughts were broken as he felt Tad pull him close to him and he chuckled, “Damn it, Tad, you’re so impatient,” he mused, but his mind was far from his boyfriend.


	2. Trouble With Tests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Libraries can be quite a distracting place.

**Gravity Falls High, Semester 1: Trouble with Tests**

It was about a month into school and the twins had been adjusting better than anyone thought…well at least Mabel was anyways. His sister had managed to find the right crowd to hang with, two girls by the name of, Candy and Grenda. Two of the world’s most annoying people, at least in Dipper’s opinion.

He was currently sitting with them at the lunch table, his white tray on the side as a heavy thick book lay open in front of him. He twirled a pencil in between his fingers as he focused-or at least tried to-on the mathematic equation in front of him. But it was hard to with the high pitched squealing and laughing coming from Mabel that was mixed with a deep scratchy one and soft giggles. He huffed in annoyance, his body tense as he tried to ignore the laughter. After another moment, he leaned back dropping his pencil in the crevice of his book. He glanced at Mabel and gave them all an angry glare before letting his eyes wander around at the other dozens of kids in the cafeteria. His eyes landed in an isolated section of the room. He continued to stare before he heard it, that voice. _The_ voice, from the first day of school. He froze, his eyes searching before he connected them with those startling blue hazel eyes he’d met before.

His heart skipped a beat and he forgot how to breathe for a moment. Gasping, he watched as the being across the room flashed a smile before turning away to continue his chatter. Dipper didn’t dare move, at least, until Mabel clapped her hands in front of him, making him jolt and drop his things.

“M- _Mabel!?_ ” He yelped, catching his breath as he picked up his dropped pencil. His sister eyed him weirdly and crossed her arms over her chest.

“What were you staring at, Dipper?” She asked suspiciously, leaning in a little with squinted eyes. Dipper coughed nervously, thinking of something to say as his eyes traveled back to the table. Mabel followed his gaze, turning to look before gaping and looking back at her brother.

“Hubba, hubba!” She said with awe, “Geez, Dip, you really do know how to pick’em!” She teased, nudging him. He blinked and flushed a dark shade of red. Waving his hands as he tried not to think about what Mabel was insinuating.

“N-no, no! It’s not what you’re thinking! He’s already dating someone!” He said quickly. Mabel quirked an eyebrow and grinned slyly, punching her twin’s shoulder lightly.

“Dipper!” She gasped, “You sly dog, you!” She laughed, causing Dipper’s whole face to turn red at her words. He groaned and turned away from her, hiding his face in his hands.

“Oh, my gosh, Mabel!” He whined, trying to calm his speeding heart. Mabel continued to laugh before walking over to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

“Aw, I’m only teasing you, Broseph,” She said, relenting a bit on her jokes. She patted his shoulder, looking back at Bill with a small frown. There was something about him that struck out as odd to her, needless to say, she did _not_ have a good feeling about him. Bill was good-looking, that much was an understatement. But he was too good to be true, he just seemed too…perfect. And that struck to her as a red flag. Dipper noticed her silence and looked to her, wondering why his sister had gone mute.

“Everything alright?” He asked, worry filling him. Mabel snapped out of her thoughts, looking up at her brother before nodding.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t it be?” She asked a nervous chuckle following after. Dipper quirked an eyebrow, but didn’t question it. Pushing his way past her, he resumed picking up his stuff. His eyes looked to the table, his heart sunk finding that it was already empty. Mabel coughed a bit before sighing.

“Dipper, I’d stay away from those guys,” She said, her voice taking a serious tone, “They don’t seem like good people…I mean…there’s something about them that’s weird,” She said, hugging herself. Dipper frowned before cracking a grin.

“Well then, shouldn’t we investigate then?” He asked wryly, “Anything weird is always a fun mystery to solve!” He grinned. Mabel cursed at her poor choice of words and shook her head.

“No, Dipping Sauce,” She continued, “I’m serious! Those guys are weird, but not the good weird you want to get involved in!” She huffed. Dipper frowned.

“Mabel, you hardly know them! How do you know what they’re like? All you did was look at them!” He retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. Mabel sighed and looked away.

“You’re right, you’re right,” She murmured, “maybe it’s just me being a worried-wart,” She joked. Dipper gave a small smile and moved over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, it’s all good, Mabes,” he said with a shrug, “I guess you do have a point…they are a creepy bunch, huh?” He smiled, trying to cheer up his sister. Mabel giggled a little and nodded, her eyes still holding a firm unsureness in them. Dipper moved to give her a side hug, squeezing her small frame gently, “Hey, don’t worry about it, Mabel,” he said, “seriously, I’ll stay away from them if you’re that much worried.”

“Promise?”

“Of course. When have I ever let you down?”

**____**

After lunch, everything seemed to be a lot brighter. Mabel’s mood had returned to its bright and cheerful state. Dipper was now currently in the school’s library, working hard on his project that was due the following week. He chewed on the end of his pen, re-reading over the lines he had written down. Scratching his head lightly, he sighed before scratching part of a sentence out, mumbling to himself about having to redo it his paper. Groaning silently, he slumped back into the seat, lifting his hand he glanced at the watch, it was barely 3:45.

He had left his classroom early so that he could work on his chemistry assignment, at least his parents would be pleased. Tapping his fingers against the desk, he looked around, there were few students in the room, some were at the computers and others reading or searching for a book to read. Meanwhile, Dipper himself, sat in the farthest table in the back, away from the prying eyes of students. Though, it occurred to him that maybe it wasn’t the best choice to pick, especially when he saw two figures walking towards him.

Bill and Tad.

He nearly choked on his spit, but he managed to pull through so that he could gather up his papers and stuff them away. He didn’t want Bill thinking he was a major nerd or anything. Then he paused, remembering what he had told Mabel earlier today. He bit his lip, pulling out some of his papers to make it seem like he was busy. His heart was racing and his mouth went dry as the distinct voices got closer, making his hand tremble a bit as he wrote a new thesis paper for his Chemistry class.

“Well, look who it is!”

His eyes widened and he tried not to look too eager to look up. Instead, he pretended to ignore them, he did _not_ want to get to know them. Nope. He didn’t.

“Dipper Pines, is that you?” The voice sent shivers down his spine, especially the way he had said it. Gulping, he steadied his breathing quickly before looking up, annoyance written all over his face.

“Can’t you see I’m busy?” He said a little too quickly than he would’ve preferred. He kept his face the same, staring at the two beings who both had a look of surprise. Tad raised his hands in defense, a smirk gracing his lips.

“Whoa, cool it, Pines,” He snickered, “We were just coming to hang.”

Dipper scowled and rolled his eyes, “Go hang somewhere else, this table is taken!” he retorted, _good, Dipper, just keep this going and maybe they’ll go away on their own._

“The other seats aren’t.”

Dipper’s eyes flew to Bill’s. The male’s blue hazel orbs held a bemused look to them, but his mouth was curved into a small frown.

“W-what?” Dipper asked, trying not to blush.

“The seats,” Bill said, jerking his head slightly to the empty chairs, “they’re not taken.”

Dipper was at a loss for words, he hadn’t really thought this far ahead. Coughing slightly, he glanced at the other seats around him, true…they weren’t taken. He bit his lip, forgetting who was there for a moment as he got lost in thought. Would it be bad to break the promise with Mabel? She doesn’t really need to know does she? Plus…this would be a great opportunity to talk to Bill-and Tad-but he’d still be able to get close to Bill.

“Yeah, well…my friends just haven’t arrived it,” Dipper suddenly said, surprised by his own boldness. Was he really playing hard to get with a guy who was taken _in front_ of his **_boyfriend_**??

Bill’s eye seemed to glow with a strange emotion and his frown turned to a smirk. Tad chuckled, pulling out one of the chairs and gesturing towards it. Bill sat down with ease, followed by the other. Dipper watched, thinking back to his promise to Mabel. He knew the right thing to do would’ve been to get up and leave. But he couldn’t find the strength to do that because Dipper didn’t want too.

“We’ll just keep the chairs warm until they arrive,” Bill smirked, the words making Dipper’s stomach twist in an odd way. Tad slumped back in his seat, placing his feet on the desk without a care. He looked to Bill and flashed a smile and Bill returned it before turning to Dipper. The exchange of smiles creeped him out and his heart sank to his stomach with dread at what they could’ve been thinking.

“How’s the thesis paper?” Tad asked, glancing down at the half filled page. Dipper faltered a bit, clearing his throat to answer.

“I-it’s going great,” he managed, wincing at his stutter, “I mean, I had to redo it because the first had too many mistakes,” he shrugged, “I just wish I understood more of the subject better,” he frowned, “I have a test coming up and stoichiometry was never my best skill,” he said with a slight chuckle. Bill and Tad laughed, before Bill spoke up.

“I feel ya, Pines,” He said, “that’s the trouble with tests these days. If you get the subject, you’re in the clear, but if not…then you’re screwed. Don’t worry though, it gets easier…especially when you have a little _help_.” This made Tad snicker along with Bill, leaving Dipper in confusion.

“Help? You mean like, tutoring?” He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Hah! Tutoring is for the weak. It’s just more time to be wasted by teachers who know nothing about what they’re doing,” Tad spat, grimacing in disdain at the thought, “but, no, we don’t go to tutoring for that stuff.”

“Too many simpletons,” Bill sighed, “none who I wish to have the pleasure of being around,” he scoffed, reaching out to Dipper’s book and skimming through it before placing it back down. Dipper had no idea what the two were getting at, but it made him curious. An easy way to get smarter without going to tutoring? It seemed like a deal that was _too good_ to be true. He rolled his eyes.

“Uh-huh,” he mused, “and I guess the teachers take forever to get the subject’s message across too, right?” He asked with slight sarcasm, though Tad nor Bill paid any mind.

“Exactly! You catch on quickly, Pines,” Tad grinned, he suddenly stood though and walked to the other side, next to Dipper. The said boy stiffened a little as Tad sat on the desk, pressing in close to him. Bill did the same which seemed to fluster the poor boy even more.

“Indeed you do,” Bill mused, leaning in where his mouth was just an inch away from Dipper’s ear. The boy blushed darkly and swallowed, trying to calm down. It didn’t help that both males were pressed to him, making him break down in many ways. He looked down at his paper, holding on to his pen tightly, nearly breaking it by trying to focus on the words on the white sheet and not the breathing against his neck.

“We should hang out some time,” Tad whispered huskily.

“And perhaps we’ll let you in on-“

“-Our little-“

“ _Secret_.”

Dipper jolted suddenly, blushing even darkly as his eyes flew to Bill. He was intrigued by what they both whispered into his ear and he was breathing heavily when they both pulled back. He thought he was going to faint from how dizzy they were making him. He looked up, ready to say something before he saw Mabel in the distance looking for him. He stood quickly, making the two boys blink in surprise.

“U-uh, y-yeah!” He said hurriedly, “P-Perhaps we sh-should h-hang out s-some time…” He said, packing his things quickly, “W-well, uh, see ya guys soon…or something….” He said with a shaky grin. Heaving his backpack onto his shoulders, he left the area quickly, meeting his sister. Mabel opened her mouth to speak before she noticed his red cheeks.

“Dipper, what’s wrong-?” She was cut off by him grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her along, his mind mulling over his awkward conversation with the other two. He had mixed feelings about what he wanted to do. He wanted to pretend it never happened and ignore their existence, but at the same time, he wanted to learn their secrets, to see what they see, know what they know.

But really…he was curious about Bill and what his plan was.

As he clambered into the driver’s seat, his upper thigh tingled still from where Bill had squeezed him. Mabel glanced over to her brother with concern.

“Everything alright, Dip-Dip?” She asked gently. Dipper looked at Mabel from the corner of his eye before back to the road. He gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“Yeah…I’m just fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late!!! This chapter did not make me happy no mater what!!! I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter, but I'm not disappointed either. At least it's going in the direction I need it too...so that's a plus. Anyways, thanks for being patient guys!! I appreciate it a tons!!
> 
> And, as always, comments are greatly welcomed!!!

**Author's Note:**

> So it's up, my Drug AU fic. I hope the chapter wasn't too sucky. If it was, please bear with me, it'll get better I promise!
> 
> Also, Tad Strange's relationship with Bill plays a MAJOR factor in this fic.
> 
> As always, comments are greatly appreciated! If there's anything that needs to be fixed or I need to work on, please let me know!!!
> 
> P.s The amount of chapters might change. I'm still deciding since this is really only Part I.


End file.
